Greg McHugh, Gregor Fisher and Kevin Bishop.
The second series of Only Child carried quite a weight of expectation: would it be as good as the first?
Well, there were moments when it almost teetered into farce, notably during the driving lesson episode. Yet somehow, both Bryce Hart’s characterisation and the consistent cast keep it rooted in reality, lightly seasoned with pathos. A latter scene featuring Tam Dean Burn’s gobshite character Paul reuniting with his son had me in bits. It’s the slice of life stuff that gets me every time.
But as ever, it’s all about the father and son dynamic at the centre, Ken and Richard Pritchard. Richard’s back- again – tail between his legs, having screwed up his big Norwegian crime drama. Worse yet, his dad has a new love interest, the likeable eccentric Beth (a fantastic Jenny Galloway, matching Fisher in energy) while his own would -be relationship with lovely, equally quirky Emily (Amy Lennox, also superb) is scuppered by unctuous fitness guru Tim, played with relish by comedy legend Kevin Bishop. You find yourself going, “whyyyyyyy?” at the TV screen.
The same ingredients (miscommunication, poignancy, gentle absurdism) are present and correct here throughout, and the quality too, proving some things just work. Roll on series three. Eh?!
Available via BBC iPlayer
Hit The North 